Atomizer and nebulizer.



G. W. MEINEOKE. A'I'OMIZER AN NEBULIZBR APPLICATION FILED JUNE 19,1908.

Patented-Apr. 20, 1909.

& L M G M n w THE mmkls PETERS co., WASHINGTON, v. c.

UNITED s'rA'rEs rarer Prion;

CHRISTIAN W. MEINEGKE, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO WHITALL TAIUM COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

ATOMIZER AND NEBULIZER.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 20, 1909.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHRISTIAN WILLIAM MEINEOKE, residing in Jersey City, county of Hudson, and State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Atomizers and Nebulizers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to that class of the above devices which is used for introducing medicated sprays and vapors into the nostrils as in the treatment of catarrh and kindred troubles and, more particularly, to that species of the class in which the functioning nozzle is surrounded by a cap or sleeve, generally coned, for the purpose of closing the nostril so as to prevent leakage.

In atomizers of the above mentioned character no adequate provision has hitherto been made, so far as I am aware, for the condensed fluids resulting from their use and these fluids either drain back upon the cap and atomizer bottle, or, if they 'fall within the cap, pass back into the original medicated supply. As this drainage necessarily carries mucous and other nasal secretions w1th 1t, some or all of which arethe result'of diseased conditions, and as, indeed, such secretions are generally stimulated to excess by the very application of the treatment, it follows that the supply "of medicament quickly becomes contaminated and a breeder of disease rather than a hindrance thereto; certainly to expect improvement in diseased tissue by applications of a solution of its own detritus is neither reasonable nor in accord with the teachings of medical science. It is a matter of common knowled e, also, that nasalatomizers are frequent y used in common by various members of one family in such cases a diseased condition existing in one individual may quickly be transmitted to others who would otherwise, perhaps, have remained free from it.

It is the object of my invention to remedy the faulty conditions above set forth and to provide a means by which the infected rainage is ke t apart from the pure original solution and t e atomizer as a whole maintained in a sanitary state. This object I attain by a special construction, better understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, through which all drainage passes into a separate receptacle, apart from that containing the original medicated solution, where it remains Without any opportunity for spreading infection and from which it maybe removed at convenient times.

My invention may be embodied in a considerable number of different modifications Without departing from its essence and in the drawings herewith I show several of my preferred embodiments.

Figure 1 is an elevation, art section, of an atomizer in which the drainage receptacle isentirely outside of the solution container. Fig. 2 is an elevation, part section, of an atomizer in which the draina e receptacle is entirely inside of the so ution container. Fig; 3 is an elevation, part section, of an atomizer in which the drainage receptacle is outside of and surrounds the solution container, and Fig. 4 is an elevation, part section, of a form in which the P drainage receptacle is a detachable cup held by and above the atomizer cap.

In all the figures, A is the solution container, and B, the conical cap surrounding the nozzle, 0, which latter is a part of and is supported by the screw cap, H, which constitutes the main cap of the atomizer.

In Fig. 1 the drainage receptacle, D, is a screw necked bottle fitting into a cap E sustained at the end of a bent tube, F, the bore of which joins the bottle and the floor, G, of the nozzle cap, G. This bottle, into which passes the drainage from G, is readily removed for cleaning.

In Fig. 2 the drainage receptacle, D, is inside the solution container, A, and is a screw necked bottle, the cap of which, E, is

soldered or otherwise fastened to the roof, H of the large screw cap, H; a tube, I, pierced through H and G just over D, car- .ries off the drainage, and to insure this takin place rapidly a second tube J, ending wel above the level G and opening into D below equalizes the air pressure. In this form the drainage receptac e is protected from breakage by the larger and stouter solution container, A, which latter must first be removed before access is had for the removal of D.

In Fig. 8 the construction is almost identical with that of Fig. 2 exce t that the outer bottle now constitutes the rainage receptacle and the inner bottle the solution container. Drainage is, as in Fig. 2, brought from the cap G by holes I and J in the noz zle cap floor and screw cap roof but the hole J must now lie between the outer circumference of contact of the container, A, and the inner circumference of the drainage receptacle D. In practice I prefer to use a number of holes, I and J circularly disposed instead of merely one hole as in Fig. 2.

In Fig. 4 the drainage receptacle takes the form of a cylindrical cup, K, having flared rim, L, at the top and a reentrant flattened sleeve, M, of a height approximately equal to that of the cup; it is adapted to slip easily within the nozzle cap, G, with the sleeve, M, closely embracing the nozzle pipes, N, and the conical cap, B, is now adapted to slip into it and to be removable therefrom just as, in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, it was similarly fitted to the nozzle cap G. To clean the atomizer the cup, K, is withdrawn by its rim and emptied, after first removing the conical cap, B, after which both it and cap B may be replaced.

Having new claim:

1. In a nasal atomizer having a substantially closed receptacle for holding the fluid to be atomized, an independent detachable drip receptacle adapted to receive the condescribed my invention I densed spray and discharges which may re- 5 turn from the nasal passages treated.

2. In a nasal atomizer having a substantially closed receptacle for holding the fluid to be atomized, an independent detachable drip receptacle adapted to receive the condensed spray and discharges which may return'from the nasal passages treated, said drip receptacle being located entirely outside of the fluid holding receptacle.

3. In a nasal atomizer having a substan tially closed and detachable receptacle for holding the fluid to be atomized, an independent drip receptacle adapted to receive the condensed spray and discharges which may return from the nasal passages treated, said drip receptacle being located entirely outside of the fluid holding receptacle.

4. In a nasal atomizer having a nozzle adapted to engage the nostril, a substantially closed but openable drainage receptacle having connection with said nozzle and adapted to receive condensation, and also to receive drainage from the parts treated.

5. In a nasal atomizer having a nozzle adapted to engage the nostril, separate substantially closed but openable receptacles a the one adapted to contam the atonnzing medium; and the other having connection with the nozzle so as to receive therefrom the condensation, and also to receive drainage from the parts treated.

6. In combination with a nasal atomizer having a cap structure carrying atoniizing tubes, substantially closed receptacles independently openable therefrom and adapted to contain: the one the fluid to be atomized; and the other the condensation, and also to receive drainage from the parts treated.

7. In combination with a nasal atomizer having a main cap structure carrying atomizing tubes, at substantially closed receptacle openable therefrom and adapted to contain the fluid to be atomized; a second substan tially closed receptacle openahle from a sec end cap structure and a connection between the main cap and this latter receptacle whereby drainage from affected parts is kept separate from the source of supply.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHRISTIAN W. MEINECKE.

Witnesses ELMER G. IIULZAMER, JOHN A. KEHLENBEOK. 

